Momoko Kikuchi - Adventure

Momoko Kikuchi - Adventure, 1986

Favorite track - Mystical Composer 

Least favorite track - Good Friend

Momoko Kikuchi's 5th studio album, Adventure, is probably the most aptly-named record I could think of, because it feels just like that - an adventure. The sounds of this artistic masterpiece evoke emotions within me that are almost hard to describe; wonder, serenity, excitement, reflection. For me at least, the songs totally encapsulate the feeling of Summer in Japan and the endless exploration, the endless chances this country can offer. 

Momoko Kikuchi was born in Tokyo in 1968 and in 1984, at the age of only 16, released her first album, Oceanside (an LP that deserves a write-up itself, another time). Kikuchi quickly shot to being a teen idol in the mid-80s and began to also star in movies and various TV dramas, notably 1985's Sotsugyou (Eng. Graduation), a TV movie featuring the titular song from her album Tropic of Capricorn, released in the same year. It's an absolutely beautiful track that explores the feelings and memories of being a high school student and leaving for the big world out there, saying goodbye to old friends...in Japan, there is a strange obsession surrounding high school nostalgia and it's widely regarded as one of the most important times in a person's life. Kikuchi being a child Idol is a contentious subject of course - I personally don't like the strange fake standards they're held to and the robbery of their formative years, however Kikuchi's role as one created some incredible music. 

Amusingly, every time I mention to a Japanese adult that I like Momoko Kikuchi, they always laugh. It seems that everybody knows her as the idol of the 80s, and in contrast to the closely-related city pop genre, not many westerners seem to have an interest in that sort of music. If you haven't guessed already, I absolutely love her.

It was in 1986 at 18 years old that she released Adventure, an album I consider her masterpiece; and one I'm almost certain will be my soundtrack to living in this country.

The very first track, Overture, paints the scene for the whole LP. A slow fade-in to a dreamlike cacophony of synthesizers which shifts to an orchestral rhythm sounding as if it's straight out of a vintage video game. It sounds like adventure, like riding your bike down a tree-lined avenue on a warm evening, feeling wind in your hair as you soar with birds overhead. A terrific, brief instrumental peek at everything this album holds. It's magical.

It ends with a hymnal high note that drops quite sharply into a deeper drumming backdrop of the subsequent track, Adventure. This song is much more emotional, moodier, with lyrics delving into uncertainty about the future.

"Sunny days will come..."

"Staring at the unknown future in the distance, you see an adventure"

"All by yourself you take off in search of forgotten wilderness..."

Striking poetic verses sing of the future of searching for adventure, leaving a safe home to explore an at times frightening big world and not
knowing what is waiting for you when you land. I always draw parallels with leaving home in the UK to come to Japan, over a year ago now, dwelling on the suffocating uncertainty at what awaited, longing to explore. Autumn Wind Story continues in similar themes, particularly musing on missing those you care about the most, on heartache.

Tracks like Night Cruising with a slower bass-y synthesizer evoke images of summer nights when the sun has vanished, the yellowing artificial lights over city streets the sole illumination for long walks in the lingering humidity. Melodies for pondering, for letting go of emotions to the embrace of a concrete jungle.

Two of my personal favorite tracks, Ame no Realize (Eng. Realization in the rain) and Akai Inazuma (Eng. Red Lightning) really hammer home again that emotion of adventure, memories of departing somewhere comfortable to brave a world unbeknownst. These tunes not only arouse strong feelings of high school reminiscence, but also of summer vacation in Japan, the sensations and activities it brings. If I close my eyes and concentrate on Akai Insazuma's upbeat chimes, synthesized percussion beats and Kikuchi's soft voice echoed by backing vocalists, I visualize a golden sun setting over apartment rooftops, the blistering heat of the afternoon waning, replaced with evening warmth and a choir of Cicada buzzes. Sweet shaved ice, bottles of tea from vending machines, bikes gliding down narrow alleys like Koi in a river, colorful summer festivals, old men drinking bottled beer on balconies or in cafes, kindergarteners in little yellow hats marching home.

The final song, Tomorrow, puts lyrics to the breathtaking melody that the album began with, Overture. 

"The night dawns, a new morning to be born, your profile shines in the center of the light"

When I first listened to it, a little tear did come to my eye, I'll admit. The realization of a dream, the fulfilment of a completed adventure, the satisfaction of having done it.

Not long ago I was in a Yakitori restaurant with two very good friends talking about gratitude and the joy of being able to live in Japan. At the thought of the word 'Adventure' the grand one we are all taking part in, Momoko Kikuchi's album of course sprung to the forefront of my mind. The rhythm and themes are my Japan, exploring a gorgeous nation with people closest to me. Walking the streets in the rain or riding a vintage tram through the vibrant city - this is the album that compliments it, and one of the few to which I can safely say;

10/10.